Lyr Req: Magic Penny (Malvina Reynolds)

Subject: Searching for lyrics
From: GUEST,Linda
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 01:23 PM

I need the lyrics to a song that starts "love is nothing til you give it away, give it away, give it away." Which then repeats. I only can remember this part. Isn't there more? I'd appreciate any and all help.

Subject: Lyr Add: Love is Nothing Til You Give it Away
From: Sorcha
Date: 02 Mar 02 - 01:57 PM

Love is Nothing 'til You Give it Away

Love is nothing 'til you give it away, give it away, give it away
Love is nothing 'til you give it away
And you end up having more.
Love is like a magic penny
Hold on tight and you won't have any
Lend it, spend it
You'll have so many
They'll be rolling all over the floor.

Love is nothing 'til you give it away, give it away, give it away
Love is nothing 'til you give it away
And you end up having more.

Subject: Lyr Add: MAGIC PENNY (Malvina Reynolds)^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 12:12 AM

I see there's a Version 2 of "Magic Penny" in the Digital Tradition, but no Version 1. Here are the lyrics shown in the 1964 Oak Publications book called Little Boxes and other Handmade Songs by Malvina Reynolds. The last verse is different, and the DT has some added religious verses.
-Joe Offer-

---

MAGIC PENNY
(Malvina Reynolds)

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

It's just like a magic penny
Hold it tight and you won't have any
Lend it, spend it and you'll have so many
They'll roll all over the floor, for

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

So let's go dancing till the break of day,
And if there's a piper, we can pay.
For love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

©1955, Northern Music Corporation^^ (these lyrics were added to the Digital Tradition, so there are two versions in the DT)

---

Here are the Digital Tradition lyrics. I wonder if Malvina would approve.

MAGIC PENNY
(Malvina Reynolds)

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

It's just like a magic penny
Hold it tight & you won't have any
Lend it, spend it & you'll have so many
They'll roll all over the floor, for

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

It isn't how much money you give
But how much love that you give with it
So give what you can and you'll get love
Now everybody sing!

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

And laughter is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

Our Lord never held back his love
It comes down freely from above
As we get, so should we give
Down at the Port Ewen RCA!

Love is something if you give it away
Give it away, give it away
Love is something if you give it away
You end up having more

New verses by Bob Lusk for
Port Ewen Reformed Church 8/31/92

filename[ MAGICPN2
BL

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 12:18 AM

I did look here, Joe, but didn't find it.

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 12:56 AM

Yeah, Sorcha - the "love is nothing" threw you off. I've heard it sung that way, but I believe the lyrics I posted are exact. You'll note that the ones in the Digital Tradition are expanded. Looks like I posted this and other Malvina songs in this thread (click), but it didn't turn up in SuperSearch.
So, I goofed, too.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: IvanB
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 05:01 PM

RUS has another verse in between the two given above:

Money's dandy and we like to use it
But love is better if you don't refuse it
It's a treasure and you'll never lose it
Unless you lock up your door, for

In their attribution, it's listed as copyright 1955, 1958 Northern Music Co., so the above might be a later addition. Then, again, knowing RUS, it might be spurious.

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: IvanB
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 05:05 PM

Actually, looking back to your post in the thread you linked to, Joe, I see you have that verse in your post as well.

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 05:29 PM

I'm not positive (about anything), but I think Malvina must have added the "money" verse later. It wasn't in the version Caroline and I learned from her back in the dark ages.
Sandy

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 03 Mar 02 - 10:18 PM

As I recall, in the intro to "Magic Penny" in "Little Boxes and Other Handmade Songs", Malvina acknowledged that the first line is ungrammatical. To be strictly correct, she said, it should be "Love is something, which, if given away..." She didn't say what the second line should be! I had that book on nearly permanent loan from the library when I was in high school, along with Tom Paxton's Oak collection, "Rambling Boy and Other Songs". Two wonderful little books.

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Searching for lyrics - Magic Penny
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Mar 02 - 12:01 AM

hI, iVAN - i LISTENED TO mALVINA'S RECORDING ON THE "eAR TO THE gROUND" cd. [damn capslock] Yes, indeedy, the other verse is there. I added it to the version I'll submit to the Digital Tradition. I found the date for the Malvina recording on the CD - it's taken from her 1975 Held Over album, so it's far more recent than the Oak songbook.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Magic Penny (Malvina Reynolds)
From: GUEST,Nancy Schimmel
Date: 01 Jan 10 - 07:24 AM

Malvina's daughter here. The "Money's dandy" verse was indeed added later, when the song was used in a beach movie and the producers thought the original bridge was too risqué:

They said "don't play with fire,
Once burned twice shy."
But now I've played with fire
And all I want to do is fry.

Movie standards have changed a lot since 1958. Of course, if it had had the original verse it wouldn't have ended up in the Girl Scout song book. Judy Fjell changes the money verse from "Money's dandy and we like to use it" to "Money's dandy if you like to use it" and that's one of the few changes people have made that I think improves on the original.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Magic Penny (Malvina Reynolds)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 01 Jan 10 - 12:00 PM

Nancy-

Thanks for posting in.

Charley Noble